Moments on Instagram: My 2nd Year in Italy (May 2016 – April 2017)

Since two years, May has become a special month in my life, for it was May two years ago that we moved to Italy. It is said that when you are enjoying, you forget about time. When drafting this post while reviewing the memories of last year, it seemed like everything just happened yesterday!

Around this time last year, I wrote a “best of the year” post to celebrate my first anniversary of living in Italy. This year when going through pictures from albums in my computer, I thought why not using the photos that I’ve already post on Instagram, for I always share the interesting moments on Instagram using my favorite photos! So here it is, my second “best of the year” post recapturing my favorite moments and stories during my 2nd year as an Italian resident.

🌸 May 2016: Sightseeing Iris Blossom in San Polo

We celebrated our anniversary of living in Italy with a floral occasion: the Iris blossom event organized by Pruneti.

We were invited to visit the Irish blossom by Paolo and Gionni, the two brothers who now are running the award winning olive oil company Pruneti. In San Polo (Chianti), where Pruneti plants olive trees and produces extra virgin olive oil locally, the tradition of Iris cultivation can be traced back even before the olive oil. The first plant of Iris in San Polo was dated back to the 18th century. And in 1842, it became a cultural activity through the whole village, and has lasted until now.

As an easy-going plant, Iris doesn’t require neither big pieces of land, nor too much water. That means narrow and dry land would be good enough. People in San Polo even insert Irish between olive trees to make the best use of the land. And the result is rewarding: the scent is heavily used in perfume production, while the petals are a good material as pigments in cosmetics.

A post shared by Sasha Wang (@staialborgo) on May 1, 2016 at 1:10am PDT

Every year in May, a festival celebrating Iris blossom is held in San Polo. Activities for people of all ages are in actions. It would be a great cultural event in Tuscany to join.

🇫🇷 June 2016: Road trip to Provence, France

It was an unforgettable vacation: hot, dry, flowery, and full of adventures.

It was the first road trip for our son. 8 hours drive from Florence to Provence, and another 8 to come back, plus many other hourly drives during the trip. But he was an angel and behaved so well all the time.

In three days, we covered the famous endless lavender fields in Valensole, as well as the little antique villages in the South France, such as Sault and Gordes.

🏖️ August 2016: Summer Holiday in Riccione

I didn’t see this coming, but I have to admit that I enjoyed a lot our summer holiday in Riccione. For those of you who are not familiar with Riccione, it is a city in Emilia-Romagna region at the seaside of the east coast of Italy. Family hotels with lined-up “bagno” one next to the other along the beach. It is a typical place, where traditional Italian families spend their summer vacations decades and decades. It is considered one of those typical Italian summer holiday place, which expats make jokes about from time to time!

Before the trip, I almost gave up the idea of “enjoying myself” there. I was prepared to make it a vacation all about the kid, so as long as he would enjoy the seaside, I would rather sacrifice my needs for him. However it turned out a very relaxing holiday also for me and my husband. Since there is so well designed for families, the baby was easily entertained and found other peers to play. Andrea (our son) was so manageable there, and so we could also have some qualified time to rest.

Here is a short clip of our stay in Riccione. A post of it can be found here.

We decorated the table with center pieces, tasted some Florentine snacks out of the recipes from Emiko Davies’ cookbook Florentine, and laughed on some jokes. Taking photos, eat, talk and be merried. Our way to show the cherishment to the good time and good company.

☕ October 2016: Keep Calm & Parents Are About To Come

I remember October was a rainy month, as well as a busy one for me. Although I didn’t really go anywhere special, I was still, as I remembered, busy and just a bit under pressure, because my parents for the first time after I moved to Italy are coming to visit!!!

We’ve planned this re-union for a long while, but it kept postponing due to different reasons. But finally in October, my parents are committed to come. So as their “local host”, I wanted to do my best to make sure they would feel like home. Technically they were here not for traveling, but for family visiting. So a “homy accommodation” is something that I feel having responsibility in providing. Besides, the fact that they planned to stay for 3 months just freaks me out a bit.

🇪🇸 November 2016: Take My Parents to Barcelona

I was happy to spend some qualified time together with my parents. I showed them around Florence, they got to huge and kiss Andrea physically, we went to have a big Sunday lunch at my in-law’s, etc. Those were some good busy and happy weeks.

But the most exciting part was that I took my parents on a trip to Barcelona! That was the first time for me to be a tour leader, and make all the decisions (from choosing flight to booking restaurants) for a whole trip abroad. My parents had a good time taking a break from Renaissance art, and breathed in some modern Mediterranean air.

👷 December 2016: Tour The Hidden Tuscany: Massa-Carrara

I was honored to be brought on a trip, organized by The Chamber of Commerce in Massa Carrara, to discover the hidden part of Tuscany, the province of Massa Carrara.

Before the trip, I didn’t see there was a plan for me to give a deep visit to this part of the region. And that’s why I am so happy that I chose to go on this trip. We spent three days there, visiting the town of Massa, the marble quarry, as well as the Lunigiana area with a mind-blowing km0 food experience.

🏫 January 2017: Kindergarten Visiting

January was a harsh month, as I remembered that we went through flu and fevers through the month. The weather was definitely not a favorite thing in the first month of the year. However something special happened. For the first time, I, as a Mom, experienced the kindergarten selection for my son.

I was happy about the way the public kindergarten taking the applications. This year on the civic affairs portal, Florentine residence can submit the enrollment of the kids directly online. Positively surprised, I found everything was very organized, and all essential details of our family were already recorded in the system. Within 20 minutes, we successfully submitted the applications. Wow, I was still shocked talking about it even now!

🍝 February 2017: La Grassa Food Tour in Bologna

February was a short month, but a delicious one! I took a day trip to Bologna with a group of ladies, and ate around together in a guided food tour of Curious Appetite.

A big highlight of the tour was to DIY tortellini in the kitchen. And of course that facial-mask size mortadella and all kinds of cured meat in one big plat was also something unforgettable! Check my post “Why food tour in Bologna” for a full review of that culinary adventure.

🎨 March 2017: Visit the Accademia Gallery

March was remembered as a happy period, as for the first time of the year we finally saw the arrival of spring! What made it even better was that I finally visited the Accademia Gallery, and saw for real the famous David. Thanks to Tickets Florence, I was also invited to a city walk following the museum tour, which enriched my knowledge to history of the city that I’m living in.

The old Florentine used to say “Never shall one live out of sight of the Duomo.” How lucky I am to have the privilege to have such scene in my daily life!

🌊 April 2017: A Family Trip to Liguria

In the latter April, we took a family trip to Liguria. It has always been a region that I dream of visiting. The second that the coast line came into my view, I almost jumped out of the car. Rather than the well-known Cinque Terre, we settled in an upper town Camogli. And taking it as our base, we drove around and visited different villages along the coast.

Thanks again to all the old and new friends, who I met in the last year. You were the one, who made the best events happened in my times in Italy. As always, I look forward to have more great memories together with you and Firenze!